SMART THREADS
Future Wearables, Case Study
Advised by Ted Southern for the course Future Wearables at SVA, I designed "Smart Threads" which is an RFID network and app interface connection that enables the tracking important information in real time for the user's articles of clothing, such as location, temperature, state of the clothing, age, and a daily summary.
The Problem
Have you ever experienced the case of disappearing socks? When clothing gets put into the closet, oftentimes it’s in a hurry where we forget about that tomato sauce stain from lunch or items get lost in the ever-surmounting closet mess.
The Solution
A tiny RFID tag sewn into the seam of your clothes which connects to an app interface that enables the tracking of important information in real time for each article of clothing, such as location, temperature, state of the clothing, age, and a daily summary.
Deliverables
User Interviews; User Testing; User Research & Site Analytics; Persona & Scenario Modeling; Brand Development; Wireframes; Prototypes; Experience Design; Concept Design; Interaction Design; UX Strategy
Role
UX Designer & Researcher
User Definition
New York City working women in their mid-20’s.
Characteristics:
-
in a hurry
-
needs ease/speed/practicality
-
loses stuff often
-
closet is a neglected mess
Research
I don’t have the time to organize everything in my closet every day and sometimes my clothes just stack up.
Q: What issues do you have with keeping track of your clothes & managing your closet space?
A:
There is always clothing in my closet that gets neglected only because I can’t find stuff easily.
It’s just such a mess and I have yet to figure out how to really optimize the space in a more practical way.
User Interviews
All the time. Somehow the laundry has notoriously become a black hole for socks.
Q: Have you ever experienced the case of disappearing socks?
A:
Yes. And there is nothing I can really do about it given that I can’t tie them together in the laundry for them to properly wash.
Definitely an issue. I am always buying more socks or mismatching my socks!
Concept Design
Conop
System Requirements
-
Tags must be washable
-
Must last 2 years, etc
-
Strategic location
-
Connect to wireless RFID reader
-
Close proximity to smartphone
-
Broadcast radio waves / reception strength
Subsystem Breakdown
Product Tradeoffs
Tile Mate
TrackR
Prey
Find My iPhone
Benefits
-
Keep track of the location of your clothes
-
Maintain an awareness of the state of your clothing
-
Know the temperature at any given time
-
Nothing left forgotten
-
A tidier closet & happier lifestyle
-
Sorts out the mess